Those behind the scenes

Tim Scheer, Kyle Wolfe, Josh Zastrow, Skip Wolfe, Kayla Oetterer, Stephanie Scheer, Elise McDonald, or Seth Schenck all have one thing in common, they are all athletes that have played and/or still play sports at New Haven. These are the same athletes you have read about in sports articles and at one time would have see a photo on the front page of the newspaper.

In no way am I taking away from the fact they all have deserved the recognition and worked very hard for all of their achievements. However, there are also those behind the scenes who don’t receive attention or recognition from the media as being part of a softball or basketball team. These are the same individuals who don’t expect to be recognized for their contributions to a team. Just because these individuals may not be seen on the ball field or the hardwood, doesn’t mean they should go without notice or appreciation.

In 2001, my junior year of high school, our basketball team won state and was one of the most memorable times of my life. The reason we were so successful that year was because we were a team, not just the players and coaches, but our managers as well. They were just as important members of our team as any of the players. They were part of our family, every one of them.

Earlier this spring I had gone out to take a few photos of the softball team during practice for my preseason article when I noticed something I had never seen before. Drew Schwentker, manager for the team, was helping out at their practice. This was not a one-day thing, but every practice and every game you would see him feeding balls into the pitching machine, shagging fly balls in the outfield, and keeping score during games. He was not asked to do these things, he simply choose to. He was doing his part as a member of their team.

Whether you played on a team in high school or still do, don’t forget about those behind the scenes who hand you a cup of water during a timeout or throw you a towel. These individuals are just as important to a team as a player who scores 40 points that night.